Intro to neuroscience Flashcards
What is a sagittal section?
Slice down the midline of the brain separating it into left and right
What is a coronal section?
Slice the brain to separate the front from the back (anterior and posterior)
What is a horizontal section?
Slice the brain to separate top and bottom (superior and inferior)
What is a transverse section of the spinal cord?
Same as a horizontal section (width ways)
What is a longitudinal section of the spinal cord?
Same as sagittal section (length ways)
What are 3 main subdivisions of the brain?
- Forebrain
- Midbrain
- Hindbrain
What are the 3 sections of the hindbrain?
- Pons
- Cerebellum
- Medulla
What are the 3 sections of the forebrain?
- Cerebral hemispheres (cortex)
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
What is the brainstem?
Functional unit containing the medulla, pons and midbrain
What are the divisions of the spinal chord? (4)
- Cervical
- Thoracic
- Lumbar
- Sacral
What enlargements are there in the spinal chord? (2)
- Cervical enlargement
- Lumbosacral enlargement
What is the purpose of the cervical enlargement?
More motor neurons in this area which control the arms
What is the purpose of the lumbosacral enlargement?
More motor neurons in this area which control the lower limbs
What are the neurons in the thoracic region of the spinal cord involved in?
Autonomic control
What is found in grey matter?
Cell bodies of neurons and glia
What is found in white matter?
Myelinated axons
Where is the grey matter in the brain?
Around the outside and some nuclei deeper into the brain
What are nuclei?
Cluster of neuronal cell bodies in the CNS
Where is the grey matter in the spinal cord?
In the middle, white matter around the outside
What happens at the dorsal aspect of the spinal cord?
Sensory information comes in to be processed
What happens at the ventral aspect of the spinal cord?
Motor information sent out
What does DAVE mean?
Dorsal Afferent Ventral Efferent
What is an afferent neuron?
Sensory neuron brining information from the periphery to the CNS
What is an efferent neuron?
Motor neuron carrying information from the CNS to the periphery
What is a ganglion
Cluster of neuronal cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
